A Gilded Cage
by the morrighan
Summary: Will the team reach John in time to rescue him before he reveals the location of Atlantis? This is the fifth story. There are two more after this one. Sorry about the confusion. LOL
1. Chapter 1

Stargate Atlantis: S7—A Gilded Cage

Sloth.

Colonel John Sheppard wasn't moving. He shifted slightly, and sure the manacles binding his wrists were a tad uncomfortable but he wasn't moving. A smirk lined his lips as he blearily waited to see what Moira was going to do next. Already his shirt was ripped open and he wondered if the stains of blood on his bare skin were intentional or just an accident of fervid passion.

A groan escaped his lips and he blinked, trying to clear his mind. Moira hadn't chained him to the wall. Moira was gone, dead, killed on their wedding day. He squinted although the cell was quite dark. He could feel a thrumming under his feet and realized it was the motion of a ship. It was a spaceship.

It was a Hive ship.

Memory was a cold wash that slapped him out of his forgetful lethargy. He spit. Blood from a cut lip had been filling his mouth and making him taste copper. He experimentally worked his jaw. He lifted his head to view his bleak surroundings. He was alone. His P-90 lay tantalizingly close on the floor, but it may as well have been a million miles away at the moment.

He recalled running, running, herding the last scientists to the Jumper and away from Echo Base as it was about to explode. Then a bright, brilliant light that lit up the snow and enveloped him into nothing. Then this. John hoarsely swore and pulled at the chains but they held fast.

A soft chuckling sent a shiver along his spine.

"John Sheppard," a voice crooned. It was alien. It was familiar. "Defiant to the last."

John slowly lifted his head to see Todd the Wraith approaching. There was a ghoulish smile on his face. "Guess the alliance is done," he observed. "Good move that. Placing a tracking device on my ship."

"Yes, it was my idea. But you didn't lead us to Atlantis. Instead you traveled to a ghost planet."

"Yep."

"Presumably to render assistance to those scientists? Who were quite delicious, by the way." Todd almost licked his lips at the memory.

John glared.

"And to repair the damage your ship sustained."

John said nothing. He was trying to recall how many had been culled along with him. He couldn't remember exactly and that bothered him.

Todd paused near him. He tilted his head, as if assessing the situation. "You know we will get the information one way or another. Why not make it easy on yourself and just tell us?"

John frowned. There was a slight pounding in his head but he ignored it. "I won't tell you a damn thing."

Todd shook his head. "John Sheppard. You should know better by now."

"Yeah, well, guess I'm a slow learner."

"No. Just a stubborn one."

John froze. The voice was female, familiar. It was the voice of Elizabeth Weir, filtered through a Wraith larynx into a hideous parody of the former expedition leader as was the figure who approached him now. Todd stepped to one side, deferential as the new queen of all Wraith stepped into the cell. She remotely resembled Elizabeth, but she was not Elizabeth. She was a strange amalgamation of Wraith and Replicator and human.

She was the most dangerous creature in the Pegasus Galaxy.

And right now she had John at her mercy.

John kept silent. He recalled the questioning, over and over. He recalled the pain of this creature trying to penetrate his mind. He recalled being fed on and revived. He recalled the violence. Nothing had made him talk or break and so far he had not inadvertently revealed what she most wanted from him.

The location of Atlantis.

He felt a chill as she touched his jaw. She ran her clawed finger along his skin, drawing a bead of blood as she lifted his face to hers, to meet him eye to eye.

"You will tell me everything, John. You will tell me the location of Atlantis."

"Bite me," he muttered.

Elizabeth smiled. "Oh…I intend to do more than that. Much, much more."

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_The view from the balcony was spectacular, as always. Waves crashed and rolled beneath the city of Atlantis. The pier was washed in sea spray which sparkled in the air as the sunlight shone upon it. The air was fresh and cool. John and Elizabeth stood at the balcony, admiring their city and the tremendous architecture that surrounded them. The wind was warm. It ruffled their hair and felt like soft kisses on their skin._

"_I can't imagine a better place than this for the city. It's a pity we have to leave it," Elizabeth said._

_John shrugged. "I know, but this planet's been compromised. We need to find a new planet, off the grid so to speak."_

"_You said you had some promising locations," Elizabeth said with a smile._

_John met her gaze. He nodded. "There a few that might meet the_

No, this isn't right, this isn't right, this is some memory but it didn't happen like this. We were in her office and it wasn't

_Criteria. We need an ocean planet, obviously, but with a temperate climate," John stated. He looked back out at the ocean waves. The blues and whitecaps were hypnotic. Suddenly there was a data pad in his hands. He looked at it and saw the scrolling data. Addresses._

"_As long as surfing is not part of the criteria," Elizabeth teased. She stepped closer to eye the data pad. "Which of these is the most promising?"_

"_Well, M17X39 was nice but it had some dinosaurs, so we couldn't_

I should have told Moira about that planet. She would have loved it and demanded to go there to see the dinosaurs. Moira. Moira. But I hadn't met her yet. This…this isn't right. I'm not on Atlantis with Elizabeth. Elizabeth is gone, gone, lost to us, killed by the Replicators and

_Set up a base there. M17Z29 was too humid, more like a jungle and…" John paused, touching his brow. A headache suddenly blazed behind his eyes, and he almost stumbled with the force of the pain. _

"_John, what's wrong? Are you all right?" Elizabeth asked in concern. She took his arm, steadying him and pointed at the data pad. "What about this one? M18R56?"_

"_Yeah…that's…" John shook his head. His vision was blurring as a pressure was building, building inside his head. He fought to resist it. He glanced down at Elizabeth's hand on his arm and saw that her nails_

Claws were digging into his skin, drawing blood, rich red blood that trickled along his bare skin. He lifted his gaze to see her sallow, lined face was full of Wraith slits and her eyes were yellow and full of guile

_Concern as she frowned in that pretty way she had where one brow lifted slightly. "John? Is this the one? Is this the one?" she repeated. Her voice was soft and feminine and low_

Scratching at his mind. It was a low tone that commanded and insisted, pounding in time to the rapid beating of his heart and the thrumming of the pain cascading in his mind. No, no, this isn't right. I can't reveal anything about Atlantis, good God she's a Wraith she's a super Wraith and will destroy everything and everyone and I must stop her! I must

_Tell her because she's the expedition leader and must make the final decision, yes, John realized. He nodded, pointing dumbly at the third address. He had lost the power to speak. He squinted and tried to look at Elizabeth as she smiled at him. The city wavered behind her like a dream. _

"_No, no, you rejected this one, remember? You said it wasn't, wasn't…" The memory was slipping from him even as he tried to bury it. He tried to free his arm but her grip was like iron and her eyes were boring into his, as if she could burrow into his brain and find whatever she wanted and needed from him. She was a _

Monster, a monster and not the Elizabeth he knew! The Elizabeth he had known was gone, long gone, leaving this hideous parody in her place.

"No! NO!" John growled, bucking and yanking at the chains. He was bathed in sweat and his legs trembled from the exertion of trying to keep himself upright. Pain erupted and he shut his eyes, trying to will it away, trying to remove the rude penetration of his mind.

Abruptly the pain ceased. He sagged back against the wall, exhausted. He blearily opened his eyes. His vision swam with tears and anger as the Wraith Queen was smiling. She lowered her hands, an elegant motion.

"Thank you, John. I knew you would break, in the end."

"I told you nothing!" he flared, but his voice was hoarse and weak.

"On the contrary, you told me everything I need to know. You told me the location of Atlantis. Rest now, John. You've done very well." She caressed his cheek, savoring the expression of horror and shock on his handsome face. "Such a pretty, pretty man. Elizabeth always found you so, did you know that?"

"No," John said. His head was throbbing and he tried to keep alert. For once he was the prey and she was the deadly predator and he had to be very careful. "You'll never find Atlantis!"

"Oh we shall, thanks to you, my dear. My dear John…whatever shall I do with you?" the queen pondered. She was almost flirting with him and the idea of a Wraith flirting with him made John recoil in disgust.

"Shall we kill him, now, my queen?" Todd asked.

Elizabeth turned. Her dark skirts made a swishing sound. "No. I want him to witness the destruction of Atlantis. Make sure my new pet is tended."

"As you wish, my queen."

John glared. He sagged against the wall again. He lowered his head as a dull pain thudded, thudded.

Neither saw the quick smile come and go on his lips.


	2. Chapter 2

Stargate Atlantis: S7—A Gilded Cage2

John smiled. He was sprawled on what had to be the most comfortable bed in all of Atlantis. It cushioned and consoled his weary body. Aching muscles were being relaxed by nimble, warm fingers as a massage plied his skin. Hair tickled his bare arm and he relaxed, visualizing Moira and her long hair as she worked out the tension in his body.

Except that he wasn't on Atlantis.

He opened his eyes. They felt heavy, as if weighed down and he fought past the odd euphoric slumber to see he was in an ornate chamber. A Wraith chamber.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, sitting upright abruptly and dislodging the other occupants of the bed. He stared at the assorted beautiful women surrounding him. He didn't recognize any of them as they tended him. He worked his mouth but no words came. He glanced along his body and to his relief he saw that his pants were still on as were the tattered remains of his shirt.

"Drink," suggested a young blond woman. She held a cup to his lips.

He sniffed, but it was only water. He sipped some as she held the cup for him. He swallowed. The water was cold and tasty. He licked his lips. "Okay…what the fuck is this?" he repeated, scooting free of the women and their soft touches.

"Your reward," a comely redhead informed him with a smile.

"My reward?" he repeated slowly, uncomprehending. He stared at the bevy of young women, all watching him with serene smiles and a vacuous gaze in their eyes. "Ah. You're Wraith worshippers," he realized sullenly, recalling the last time he had seen this. A young woman had been placed in a Wraith cell with him to elicit information. That had been years ago.

"Yes. And we are your reward for helping them," a brunette told him. She ran her hand lightly along his leg and he jerked the limb away from her.

"I didn't help them," he said sourly. He glanced round the room. It was opulent, even by Wraith standards which differed greatly from human ones. It was draped in crimson and black, like some Gothic nightmare. He could see the veins of the ship pulsing under the drapery in places. The floor was bare but lined in gold that created a complicated design. It started to give him a headache and he looked up at the ceiling. It too was lined in gold and he frowned.

"Eat."

He returned his gaze to the women. One was offering him an apple, and John could not help but smirk at the irony. All were young, nubile, willing and docile. And they were all very pretty. All were scantily clad as well, giving glimpses of full breasts and rounded hips.

John shook his head and scooted along the bed to swing his legs off it. Feeling the solid floor beneath his feet gave him some sense of relief, but not much as he was still a prisoner. He stood shakily. He rubbed his brow as a headache threatened. "Okay. Okay then!" he said louder. "This is very nice and once I might have imbibed…but not now. So you can come out wherever you are!"

"Please, do not injure yourself!"

"Come back to the bed and rest!"

"If we displease you we will be punished!"

"Come, we will do whatever you wish!"

The women were clinging, cloying, trying to pull him back towards the bed but John resisted. Stubbornly he stood his ground, glaring round, knowing he was being observed. "Get off me!" he flared, pushing, almost shoving. He stomped to the door and swayed. "Fuck!" He leaned against it. He pounded his fist onto it. "Come on!"

There was a narrow opening and he tried to peer out of it. Darkness met his gaze, giving him no clue where he was on the ship.

"Do they displease you, John Sheppard?"

He whirled and regretted it as the room spun. His vision settled and he stared as Todd stepped out of the wall, or so it appeared. John reached down for his gun but of course his holster was empty. His fingers played across the leather.

"If so we can get others. There are always others. The queen thought these would be most pleasing to you. To serve your needs…whatever they may be."

John scowled. Todd's expression was almost salacious. "Why don't you just let me go? Wait…we…where are we headed?"

"You will see. And soon your usefulness will be at an end."

"That's what you think. Where are we…" Realization flooded. John softly swore. "No. No. No! I didn't tell you a damn thing! Not a damn thing!"

Todd smiled. "Enjoy your new home, John Sheppard. The queen still retains quite a fondness for you."

"Aren't I the lucky one?" he commented dourly. A blurred motion of Todd sent John flying across the room to fall heavily onto the floor. His jaw ached and he touched it.

"Do not dare to speak ill of our queen, John Sheppard!"

"Your queen, pal, not mine." He groaned, moving to sit. His jaw ached and he felt a strange lethargy pinning his arms and legs. He wondered if he had been drugged. The young women swarmed around him and helped him to the bed where he collapsed with a grunt. He tried to shrug off the women but they clung like vines to him.

He had to admit the sensations were not all that unpleasant.

"Will you never learn, John Sheppard? Enjoy your…confinement."

John glowered at the departing Wraith. He sighed, shrugging free of the women. He wanted to get up and search the room. He wanted to find a way out of the room and then off the ship. He could easily steal a Wraith Dart and fly it to safety, to some planet with a Stargate and then get home. He could easily get back to Atlantis and plan a counterattack.

If he could just move to his feet, that is.

John reclined on the bed. Weariness assaulted him, but it was more than that. There was a strange fatigue that had nothing to do with the aches and pains. It was like a fatigue in his mind. He was comfortable here. The room was pleasant and the bed was comfy. He had food and water and even beer. He had female companionship with easy morals.

Why would he ever want to leave?

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Rodney sighed and scratched his head. He ran his finger along the data screen as he was hunched over it. He shook his head. "All right, then. We know where they are going and I can accurately predict when they will get there, given their trajectory from Echo Base and traveling through a hyperspace window. The plan is simple. We go in, get John, get out, and blow the ship apart. Easy peasy, as Carson would say."

"Are there enough explosives to rig a bomb?" Ronon asked. He was sitting across from Rodney as the two men hashed out the plan in the mess hall of the _Tria._ The ship was on its way to the coordinates Rodney had surmised that John would have told the Wraith.

Or so he hoped.

"Yes. Actually one overloaded naquaddah generator would do it, but this will suffice as well We can't spare a ZPM, unfortunately, because that would be a lot easier. It will be a powerful explosion. I can't stress that enough. Plus if I can get the primary weapons online we can bombard the Hive ship as well. Either way we all need to get out of there."

"I figured as much," Ronon agreed with a smirk.

Rodney met his gaze and frowned. "I am quite serious, Ronon! This explosion will take out not only the ship but anything in its close vicinity, including any escape vessels! This has to be timed to the very last second, all right? The war with the Fuglies was a picnic compared to this!"

"Okay."

"Okay? Don't you see how crucial the timing is on this?" the physicist nearly shouted.

"I do, Rodney, calm down," Ronon tried to soothe.

"Calm down? Calm down?" Rodney shouted, moving to his feet. "Our friend has been captured and is probably being tortured and I am not even sure that this plan will work! I am not even sure that this is the right place where we will find him! And if I am wrong he is doomed, as is Atlantis because she knows everything, well, nearly everything about Atlantis! She is our worst nightmare, Ronon! The enemy within! And now she has John in her clutches!"

"And you know John, and you know what he would have told her to protect the city and to help us find him. Is it really…Weir?"

The physicist shook his head. "No. It's a creature that resembles her and has her memories and knowledge. We couldn't tell anyone else. The shock…it was…we had to keep it quiet. Morale would have plummeted."

"I understand."

"It's incomprehensible! How the hell did they create such a monster? How could they? And to turn her against us, against her friends! But she's not Elizabeth. She will never be Elizabeth and we can't think of her like that, ever! And now John is in her clutches and he has to survive, he has to survive!"

"He will." Ronon's voice was full of calm confidence. Sheppard was a survivor first and foremost. Ronon had no doubt.

Rodney stared, furious at the calm Satedan. But he sighed and retook his seat. "Sorry. Sorry. It's been a lot to handle, you know?" He fumbled with the data pad. "If we can just get through this latest crisis we'll be fine. It's a lot to handle, a lot of responsibility!"

"Like knowing Moira was alive?"

"What? Oh…right. Yes." At Ronon's continued stare Rodney shrugged. "Look, he had his reasons for keeping that secret, all right?"

"And what were those reasons?" Ronon asked.

"That's not for me to say. You can glare at him when we get him back. Right now we need to go over this plan again!"

Ronon merely grunted an acknowledgment.


	3. Chapter 3

Stargate Atlantis: S7—A Gilded Cage3

It had to be a dream. It had to be! John was seated, cross-legged on a cushioned bed. He was eating pizza, pizza of all things and the cheese dribbled between his fingers! He had a bottle of beer next to him and took generous sips of the amber liquid. There were more bottles of beer across the room! And best of all he wasn't alone.

He was surrounded by beautiful women, all giggling and enjoying the pizza and beer as well. John was smirking. Rodney would be turning green with envy if he could only see John now. He licked his lips and chuckled as one of the women tickled the cheese from his fingers with her tongue. Another was stroking his thigh. Still another was sipping a bottle of beer, working her mouth around the opening in a very suggestive manner indeed.

They were charming companions. They laughed at his jokes. They flirted with easy smiles and ample bosoms. They made sure the beer was close at hand and the pizza was sliced into generous portions. Their touches were gentle and soft. Their admiration shone from their faces. John was certainly no stranger to the admiration of women, and he always enjoyed the affect he had on them.

Besides, he really wasn't interested in conversation.

He wished there was a television. He wouldn't mind watching a football game. He couldn't remember the last time he had watched sports. It had probably been when he had been back on Earth, when Atlantis had been in the Milky Way galaxy and defending Earth from the attack of the Wraith. The city had almost been swallowed in the bureaucracy of the IOA and had escaped to return home to

_That planet after John piloted the city and it had been a near miss, that landing onto the ocean surface and then the submersion to thwart the Fugly threat and then the new_

_That planet, the one Elizabeth didn't want us to settle because it wasn't quite right for the expedition although the waves were amazing and the beaches were full of_

John blinked. He shut his eyes tightly. His own thoughts had nearly betrayed him and he re-directed them quickly, shunting the truth aside and dwelling on the construct he had created in his mind to replace the reality, at least while he was in enemy hands.

_This can't be real. This cannot possibly be real. I am trapped on a Wraith Hive ship headed for the coordinates of Atlantis. I am a prisoner of a crazy Wraith queen who thinks she is Elizabeth Weir but she's not, not even close by a long shot. _

_She's in my head she's in my head she's in my head I have to be careful what I think what I know what I feel she's in my head she's in my head she's in my_

John opened his eyes as the pressure behind them was growing, growing. He was sprawled back on the bed again. He could smell the tang of cheese and tomato sauce. His stomach growled. He tried to move but he found his arms were bound together up over his head. In other circumstances he would have found this position kinky and erotic, but not here.

He grimaced as a very sharp nail stroked his jaw. He stared as the face of the Wraith queen came into focus. She smiled down at him. Her resemblance to Elizabeth was chilling. The pretty face was marred by ghastly skin and a tattoo along one cheek. The dark hair was curly but longer, much longer than Elizabeth had ever worn hers. The eyes were cold and alien.

"You are stubborn. You are a very stubborn man, John Sheppard. What is it that you desire? I have given you beautiful toys, have I not? I have given you the food and beverage that you most enjoy, have I not? This chamber is designed for the ultimate comfort of a human. What more could you possibly desire?"

"Freedom," he spat.

The queen's eyes grew hard. They became eerie yellow slits. The nail stroking his jaw became sharper, like a claw now and it drew a bead of blood along his scruff.

John stared back at her. He didn't react. He didn't flinch.

"You are hiding something from me," she said. Her voice was low, rumbling through his body like a purr.

John stared back at her. He didn't react. He didn't flinch.

The queen's stare grew harder, harder. Her dark pupils were pinpoints of light, of darkness. They stabbed into his own she snarled, baring her many many teeth in a parody of a smile.

John stared back, unblinking. A tiny bead of sweat slid along his brow. He kept his mind blank, his thoughts vapid, empty.

She drew back her hand, raising it so that he could see the palm. He could see the feeding hand and the slit across the skin. He could see the slit opening and revealing the feeding apparatus as it began to obscenely protrude. "What are you hiding from me, John? What are you hiding from your Elizabeth?"

"You are not my Elizabeth," he said between gritted teeth. He let the anger course through him. It gave him strength. It gave him courage. It tightened his resolve. He could see her with crystal clarity now as any resemblance to Elizabeth faded.

What he now saw was a Wraith queen, powerful and horrifying, beautiful and strange. She was an alien creature that was only half human, or less so. She was a creature that had pale, slitted skin and cat's eyes with narrowed pupils. She was a predator that fed on humans and thought no more of it than John ever did when he ate a hamburger or a steak.

The queen glared at him. She rested the palm of her hand on his bare chest. "You will reveal everything to me. NOW!"

He did flinch now, as her order reverberated painfully in his mind. He couldn't help it. He felt a shiver course along his body. He could feel the feeding apparatus against his skin. It felt obscene and he shuddered. Worse was the pain in his head; as if she was stripping away his mind, layer by layer to reveal the truth underneath.

His breath came in ragged gasps and his whole body tensed, tensed as a surge of adrenaline coursed along every muscle. He arched and a moan escaped between his gritted teeth. He had been fed upon before but it was still a painful, excruciating experience.

As was the reverse when his years were given back to him, one by one by one.

The physical pain was intense. John could brace himself and handle it. The pain in his mind, however, the intrusion into his deepest thoughts and darkest secrets was worse. Far worse. John wondered if he could bear it. He wondered how long he could hold on and not reveal anything.

He wondered how long he had to endure this.

The queen smiled. She just smiled.

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Teyla was shocked. She stared at Richard, then Moira, then Richard again. She shook her head in disbelief. It was so much to accept, all at once. Sheppard's deception, Moira's apparent return from the dead and being married to John and now this, the biggest shock of all: the Wraith queen was formally the leader of Atlantis! She was a loss for words but finally found one to convey her emotion. "Elizabeth?"

Richard exchanged a glance with Moira. Although as shocked as everyone to see the biologist was not only alive but had been in the Pegasus Galaxy all along he nevertheless felt a shared understanding with her over this particular subject. It was exactly this reaction that had kept him from telling too many people about their newest enemy. "Yes," he finally said, meeting Teyla's gaze. "I mean no. The Wraith queen is not Elizabeth Weir, but an amalgamation of Weir and the Replicator Weir and a Wraith. We surmise she has nearly all of Doctor Weir's memories which renders her a serious danger to Atlantis."

"But she is a Wraith first and foremost, make no mistake," Moira added, turning to the Athosian. "Which means you can link to her and if not control her at least distract her, correct?"

Teyla met the other woman's gaze. "Yes…I have done so before. I see. You wish me to do this while you rescue John?"

"Yes," Richard confirmed. "But first you must prepare yourself. This queen may look and sound like Elizabeth, and she may try to fool you into a false sense of trust."

"I will not be fooled by a Wraith," Teyla asserted.

"Even if this particular Wraith closely resembles Elizabeth?" Moira tested. The two women's gazes held, held, and Richard looked from one to the other. They seemed to be locked in some silent, secret battle and he wisely held his tongue, waiting.

Teyla slightly inclined her head, acknowledging the point. "Now that I know I will be prepared."

Moira relaxed. "Thank you. If you can distract her it may tip the balance in our favor."

"How was she…created?" Teyla asked, deciding on the right word.

Richard shrugged. "We have no idea. Frankly we haven't had time to theorize about that."

"The Wraith were always experimenting, on humans as well as themselves," Moira said. "In fact I have found some evidence that the two were in collusion, for a while, although I don't know why. Somehow they were able to access the Replicator technology and insinuate it into their own queen…but as to how I have no idea."

"Are you saying the Ancients were working with the Wraith?" Teyla asked, incredulous. She glanced at Richard. The expedition leader appeared just as surprised.

"Yes. Perhaps a rogue element as the base was shut down abruptly…or something happened. Once John is back and safe I hope to continue my research and see if I can find any copies of those lost files." Moira moved to her feet. "First, though, we must get John back. I need to see Rodney. Excuse me."

Teyla waited until the biologist was gone. She turned to Richard. "Did you know?"

"About Moira? No. I was in the dark as much as you, as much as everyone, apparently." Richard shrugged, uncomfortable. He was expected to have the answers and he didn't. Interpersonal relationships weren't his strong suit, after all. Give him a legal problem and he could solve it with a flourish.

"I find it very…strange that John would feel the need to indulge in this deception."

"Perhaps he felt it would be safer this way. From what I have read in the reports they both went through quite a lot while they were here defending the city and keeping it alive under water."

"Still it is most unlike him."

"Perhaps you don't know him as well as you thought."

Teyla could only stare in reply.


	4. Chapter 4

Stargate Atlantis: S7—A Gilded Cage4

The sun was hot. It beat down mercilessly, forcing John to adjust his sunglasses to protect his eyes. He was sitting on the beach, staring out at a brilliant turquoise ocean. Beads of sweat rolled along his bare chest and back. The sun was warm. He blinked against the glare to watch the whitecaps shining brightly as a wave crested and crashed.

The tang of sea salt was riveting. He glanced at his surfboard, perched in the sand behind him and giving him a modicum of shade from the harsh sunlight. The cry of seagulls rent the air. John flexed his arms, relaxed and peaceful. The red towel beneath him was warm and comfortable.

It was beautiful out here. It was the perfect beach on a perfect day. There was just enough of a warm breeze to muss his hair and play with the ocean waves, but not too much as to presage a storm. The horizon stretched for miles and miles, drowning the blue sky into the blue sea.

He smiled as a woman entered his line of vision. She was walking along the shore. She was clad in a violet bikini and a sheer white coverup that didn't cover much. Her long hair billowed around her, falling in sumptuous waves to her elbows. She turned and headed for him, a smile on her face.

_John_

He raised his hand, needlessly as he was the only one on the beach. He smirked and glanced to his right where a red cooler sat. It was open to reveal beer cans amid the melting ice. He started to reach for one, but drew back as the woman's shadow fell across him.

_John_

He let his gaze slowly travel up the woman's body, along her fair skin, along the curves of hips and breasts, up to her smiling face. "Moira," he said quietly, but a whisper of doubt caused him to hesitate. There was something off about her appearance and he couldn't put his finger on it. She was almost too pretty, which didn't make any sense and he wondered why that thought had arisen in his mind.

"Weren't you going to ride the waves?" she asked. Her voice was soft and sultry, and didn't sound quite right somehow.

John was too busy raking his gaze along her body again to reply. He had always found her body distracting and today was no exception. Finally he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze but she was cast in shadows. He shrugged and lazily replied, "Maybe later…right now I think I want to—"

_John this isn't real_

"—just enjoy the view, baby, if you know what I mean. This is exactly how I pictured our honeymoon. Exactly. Not on that damn iceberg! You should just—"

_John you know this isn't real_

John stopped talking and turned at the persistent voice. He stared. In the distance he could see Moira. It was snowing where she was and she was clad in a white lab coat that flapped around her clothes. It was his Moira, as she really looked, not this other idealized version who was with him on the beach. On a beach which neither Moira nor he had ever visited, not in real life anyway. There had been no honeymoon, except a snatched week on that frozen planet. "Moy?"

"I'm right here, John. Now, come, what do you want to do?" she asked, taking his hand as she sat next to him. Her touch was warm, almost too warm.

John glanced at her, uncertain. Her brown eyes were quizzical. He frowned. That wasn't right. One of her eyes was different somehow, although at the moment he couldn't quite remember. "I was gonna suggest we—"

_You know this isn't real, John. Fight it. You have to fight it. Don't tell. Don't tell._

"—go back up to the hotel room and test out the bed for any…" John paused. He glanced down at her hand on his. Had her nails always been so very sharp and so very long?

John looked back at the other Moira. She was even farther away now, lost in the snow. There was a beseeching expression on her face. His mind rebelled. She couldn't be here. She had been killed on Earth, right after they had been married. He moved to his feet suddenly and took a few steps towards her. The sand squelched beneath his bare toes.

There was another memory surfacing, one buried deep. One wherein he had been with Moira on a frozen planet and they had enjoyed a brief honeymoon before something terrible had happened. Something violent that had separated them and now he was here. Not here but somewhere else.

He was on Atlantis, of course, where he belonged.

He was on the bridge of the _Tria, _eliminating the threat of the Fuglies.

He was on that frozen world and it was under attack. Darts were flying and the scientists were rushing, rushing towards the Stargate and Moira was in harm's way she was in harm's way and he shouted to warn her to

He was on Earth and the car swerved quickly too quickly and he lunged too late as Moira was hit and violently flung from his arms from his life from his

He was in a Wraith cell being held by a parody of Elizabeth Weir and he would die before revealing the location of Atlantis and the

He was on the beach. It was hot, so hot but the sun's heat felt good on his bare skin. He could taste the ocean on the air and his surfboard was tantalizingly close, ready to be deployed. John grabbed a beer and sipped the amber liquid. It was ice cold and slithered down his throat. He swallowed, licked his lips and set the beer can into the cooler.

He idly scratched at his chest where an itch was crawling along his skin. He scratched at the coarse chest hair and the tender skin underneath it. He could feel the sweat trailing along his skin. Inexplicably he felt a shiver.

"Moira? Moira, you ready, baby? I can teach you how to ride the waves." He looked round but he was alone. "Moira?"

"John? John, what is it? What do you see? What are you hiding from me?"

He turned and there she was, smiling and beautiful and almost scary as this wasn't the real her but some odd idealized version, as if this was how his heart saw her. It was a ridiculously romantic notion and he snorted at the idea. "You shouldn't sneak up on a guy like that! Let's hit the waves, baby and then we can—"

_It isn't real John. None of this is real. You must fight it. Fight it. Fight it. Don't tell. Don't tell. _

"Moira?" He turned again and there was his Moira, standing in the snow and fading from his vision as the snowfall swallowed her. "Moira, wait! Moira!" He tried to rush to her but the sand was swallowing his feet and the other Moira, the one that couldn't possibly be his Moira was grabbing his arm and trying to restrain him.

Her hold was surprisingly strong.

The other memory was surfacing and he fought to bury it, suddenly feeling a panic that if this was revealed he might reveal other things. He felt as if everything was about to spill out of him, and if it started it would never stop never stop never stop.

"What is it, John? What are you hiding from me? John? John?"

_John, you know none of this real. Don't remember, John. Fight fight fight_

John bucked. He was gasping for air and struggled, struggled like a drowning man. His arms flailed and his legs kicked but all was darkness and he couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he couldn't hear except for that small voice, that small voice that sounded like Moira but was really his own voice telling him to resist, to fight, to conceal at all costs.

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"He is strong. Somehow he is resisting." Todd's voice was full of reluctant admiration. He knew John Sheppard was strong and stubborn, but this defiance was impressive. Especially in the face of a Wraith queen whose powers were beyond any male Wraith.

The queen hissed and withdrew her hand at Todd's words. John was sprawled on the bed, being held down by Wraith drones until he collapsed. The queen waved her hand and the Wraith withdrew. The room was oddly quiet except for heavy rasp of John's breathing.

Todd shook his head. He would have preferred this human to be held in a proper cell, not this fancy room, but he dare not gainsay the queen. She had her own reasons, whatever they were. Todd was not privy to them. One did not question the orders of a queen. "Did you learn anything, my queen?"

The queen hissed again and met his gaze. "No. He is hiding something…but his resistance is remarkable. I should be able to rip it from his mind, but something is preventing me." She looked back at the now inert form of the military commander of Atlantis. "I do not wish to irreparably damage him." She stroked his dark hair. It was an oddly human gesture.

"There are methods," Todd suggested.

"Those methods would break his mind…render him a feeble-witted fool. Those methods would strip him of what makes him John Sheppard."

"And would that be a terrible outcome?"

"Yes!"

"Even if we gain what we needed?" Todd argued, daring to challenge the queen. He felt a pressure between his eyes and grunted, lowering his gaze as she pushed him with her mind to acquiesce, to obey. Like every Wraith he was born and bred to obey a queen and could not resist her power for long.

"If we rip out what makes him John Sheppard we will learn nothing! Those methods shall not be employed! Is that understood?"

"Yes, my queen!" Todd fought the urge to move to his knees. He bowed. He felt ill at ease. He worried that the emotions of the real Elizabeth Weir might leak through and compromise the queen. The last thing they needed was a queen who had feelings for this man. The last thing they needed was a queen tainted by very human emotions. It would be a disaster! "Do you think he lied about the location of Atlantis?"

"No. He fought to reveal that but in the end he broke. Whatever this other thing is, he will break too, in time." She moved to her feet. It was a graceful motion and her dark skirts folded around her. "See that he is well tended and restored. I want him to witness the destruction of Atlantis. It is a destruction that he made possible." She headed for the door, paused. "And Todd? No harm comes to him until I say so. Is that understood?"

Todd bowed. "Yes, my queen. It will be as you wish."

"It had better." She cast one more look towards the inert form of the military commander. Her yellow eyes had almost a trace of compassion. Almost. "He is still of use to us."

Todd nodded his assent, but he wondered if Sheppard were of use to the Wraith, or just to the queen.


	5. Chapter 5

Stargate Atlantis: S7—A Gilded Cage5

The hyperspace window evaporated and the Hive ship dropped into real space. Immediately the scanners went to work as the ship took a leisurely turn towards the blue and brown planet in the vicinity. Anticipation was almost palpable. The Wraith worked steadily at their stations. Even the ship was humming with hunger and optimism. At last the most virulent enemy would be destroyed.

At last Atlantis would be no more.

With any luck there would be more planets nearby. It was time for a culling as supplies were beginning to run low. Fresh food was always to be desired, and the sport of running down the weak humans was always amusing.

Hopefully a more populated world could be found, where the humans were thick as rabbits and the variety was rich. It has been a while since a thorough culling had been achieved. Luckily these humans bred like rabbits and quickly too.

"We have not been detected yet. So far we are reading nothing."

Todd glared at the screen. "We are too far from the planet yet. Get closer, but slowly. We don't want to announce ourselves. We must not give them time to cloak the city. Inform me when we are in range." Todd clasped his hands behind his back and he strolled around the bridge. It felt good to be in command again, albeit the situation was temporary as the queen was the one truly in charge.

He mused about having his own Hive again. Perhaps he could suggest that when the queen was in a more generous mood. He could serve as an adjunct to her Hive, of course, but maintain his own crew and his own plans. He missed his former independence.

It was the way of the Wraith, to follow a powerful queen, but Todd did relish the time when he was in sole command of a Hive ship. Oddly enough he realized that while his fellow Wraith would not understand and even consider his views heretical the one person who would understand was John Sheppard.

Todd allowed himself a smile at the irony of finding empathy with an enemy.

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John sat on the bed. His head was in his hands as he covered his face. He hunched over in sheer weariness. His muscles ached and his clothes clung to him, stinking of sweat. He was hungry and thirsty but most of all he was utterly exhausted. The energy to resist the queen's mind probes had been both physical and emotional. He felt drained to the bone although he had not been fed on by a Wraith.

He had been tortured by one, however.

The headache was still there, quieter now but still there like a constant reminder that someone else had been inside his head. He hated that. He ran his fingers through his hair, gently massaging his temples. A fierce longing for Moira's soothing touch filled him. He quickly quelled it. With a sigh he lifted his head to view the opulent room where he was a prisoner.

Instantly he was on his feet, reaching for his gun although it wasn't there. The holster was empty. His eyes narrowed and a scowl crossed his handsome visage. "What the fuck do you want?" he snarled.

"Now, John...is that any way to speak to an old friend?"

"You…you can't be here. I killed you! I killed you!" John raised a hand to point and found it shaking. Quickly he lowered it.

Acastus Kolya smiled. "Did you? Are you sure about that, Johnny boy? Stranger things have happened in this galaxy you know." The former Genii commander's face held a sneer that John knew only too well.

"You're a hallucination," John decided. He resumed his seat on the bed. "You're another trick of that bitch queen."

"Maybe, maybe not." Acastus took a few steps towards John. "You can't really be sure of anything, Johnny, can you? Not anymore."

"I am damn sure I killed you."

"Then why are you wasting time talking to a hallucination?"

John snorted. "Fuck if I know." John rubbed his eyes. "God I hate these mind games!" he snarled.

"Why didn't you come after me, colonel? Why did you let them do this to me?"

John looked round and stared. "Ford? What the…no. You're not real either."

"Or me, John? Why didn't you rescue me when you had the chance?" a man asked. He was clad in desert fatigues.

"Holland? I did! I tried, I mean I—"

"Why did you leave me to die, John? Why did you leave me to the Replicators?" Elizabeth asked. This was the image of the real, human Elizabeth and it took John aback.

"You ordered me to go!" John refuted.

"You let me defuse that bomb instead of insisting I evacuate," Carson said.

"That was your decision, Beckett, not mine!"

"You allowed the Fuglies to kill me," Evan Lorne accused.

"You let the Wraith feed on us!" a group of scientists wailed as one.

John stared. The room was filling with more and more of the dead, ghosts to haunt him from his past failures: men from his previous services in Antarctica and Afghanistan; men and women from the years in Atlantis; nameless people from various planets and it all too much, almost too much. He could hear their accusing voices like chimes in his head. His heart hammered as he feared his mother might appear, or even Moira and he bit his lower lip, refusing to believe the hallucinations but feeling them nonetheless.

_You know this isn't real isn't real isn't real isn't real_

John fell back across the bed in utter exhaustion.

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The queen sat resplendent in her throne room. She was facing the enormous viewport where all of space spread before her like some glittering offering of darkness and emptiness. Her eyes were closed, however. She was drinking in all of John's anger and sorrow and desperation as even now she toyed with him.

He was like a drug to her. She couldn't get enough and kept wanting more. She wasn't certain if this was the remnant of Elizabeth Weir's memories inside her or just a powerful Wraith queen's unquenchable desires. There was so much defiance in this man, so much stubbornness and strength. It would take weeks to break him down completely, to render him into a willing participant in her plans.

Weeks.

She relished the thought. There was so much darkness to explore in this man. There was so much guilt and grief and anger, much more than the real Elizabeth Weir had ever suspected. She had only seen the surface, the handsome, dashing hero's wit and easy-going demeanor hid a much more complex man. The years had taken a toll on this man; the years of struggle and fighting and losing people.

Feeding on him would be an absolute delight.

A faint line creased her pale brow. Despite her intensive interrogations he was still hiding something. It bothered her. No human should be able to resist her. Not even this one.

Soon he wouldn't deny her anything.

Anything at all.

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Todd's gaze narrowed as the ship swerved again. He looked over the shoulder of a technician as the other Wraith's fingers moved over the controls. The screen was blank. Todd frowned. He moved to another station but the results were the same.

The planet was empty.

In disbelief Todd moved to a third station. Snarling he shoved the other Wraith aside and increased the power to the long-range sensors. The screen remained blank. A single line skewed across it, revealing nothing.

As far as planets went this one was pleasant and habitable. It has a moderate climate and most of its surface was covered by ocean. It was a little distant from the nearest sun but that would only mean it was cooler than other planets. It was a perfect planet for a city to float on.

No city floated on the waves.

"I cannot believe this," he muttered.

"No energy signatures, no power fluctuations of any kind. The land masses are empty of any architecture, except for a Stargate. Our readings indicate it has been inactive for several years. There is nothing on the ocean or beneath it."

"We are picking up scant life signs that are not human."

"There are no human villages as far as we can tell," another informed.

"Could the city be cloaked?" Todd asked. He knew he was grasping at straws and hated that. A glimmer of admiration for John's strength and deception came and went. Much worse would be the reaction of the queen to learn that she had been deceived.

He almost winced at the retribution she might take. For an odd moment he felt a bit of sympathy for that hapless human pet of hers.

"It could be, but they would not have detected our approach. I shall keep scanning, just in case."

"Shall I inform the queen of—"

"No! Not yet. I shall inform her when we are absolutely certain," Todd said past the lump in his throat. "It has to be there. It has to be there," he muttered, tapping his long nails on a console.

The planet was empty.

Atlantis was nowhere to be found.


End file.
